NXT Takeover Chicago – Results & Reactions – Live Blog

Welcome to my Live Blog with Results & Reactions from NXT Takeover Chicago. You can watch Takeover on the WWE Network and of course, your first month is free.

We start with a promo video talking about pain and recapping the hype for the coming matches.

We are introduced to the show by Nigel McGuinness explaining Mauro Ranallo is on assignment. Mauro is calling Showtime Boxing tonight.

Tag Championship match – Undisputed Era(c) vs Burch & Oney Lorcan

First out was Undisputed Era followed by the challengers, together. The crowd is very much behind the heels, Undisputed Era, chanting “Undisputed” and booing Danny Burch and Oney Lorcan. Lorcan has so much energy and pace he is winning the crowd over. He is also very likable. Oney Lorcan took a horrible looking bump from the top rope to the edge of the ring, then to the outside. Adam Cole saved the Titles for Undisputed Era and the ref throws Cole out. The fans boo the ref and chant “Bull shit”. Everyone is one their feet chanting “nxt” after a strikefest. Undisputed Era retains the tag team championships with a double team move. That was a very good match but in the end Roderick Strong pins Oney Lorcan.

Ricochet vs Velveteen Dream

The Velveteen Dream makes his entrance first and he has a very Hulk Hogan outfit tonight, which was acknowledged by Nigel McGuinness. The Dream is very good at playing to these big crowds. Ricochet has a very cool looking cape with wings, well he makes is entrance the velveteen dream lays on the Spanish announce table. The crowd are behind the heel again in this match, cheering for “Velveteen” but Ricochet is winning some over and the strong Ricochet fans are getting louder. The crowd eventually stops battle chanting but instead chants “both these guys”. After the Dream doing some dives early in the match, Ricochet is showing him how it’s done. It almost feels redundant to mention how smooth Ricochet is. Velveteen Dream pulls off a massive superplex from the apron to the floor outside, it looked brutal, great spot. Ricochet hits the purple Rainmaker elbow but the Dream kicks out of his own move, then Ricochet hits an incredible shooting star press but velveteen dream gets the knees up for a near fall. The Dream then misses an Elbow and takes a 630 to the back. Winner Ricochet

The crowds can really make or break a show and these NXT Takeover crowds And the Chicago crowds are always great.

NXT Women’s Championship Match – Shayna Baszler(c) vs Nikki Cross

Nikki Cross comes to the ring first and gets a good reaction and Shayna get a mixed reaction. She is the first heel on this show to get boos.m when she’s introduced. Cross was jumping on the back on Baszler on the outside and Shayna just dropped Nicky on her back on the steel ramp. Baszler has a really good looking knee strike and Cross no selling it because she’s crazy makes total sense for her character. Shayna Baszler puts Nikki to sleep with a sleeper, just before Nikki pasted out she started to smile. Winner and still NXT Women’s Champion, Shayna Baszler.

Even after a great match the crowd still boos Shayna after the match. Great heel work by Baszler.

In the crowd at this Takeover we have EC3 and The former WWN Champion, The Limitless, Keith Lee.

NXT Championship Match – Aliester Black(c) vs Lars Sullivan

Sullivan makes his entrance first. The champion Aleister Black gets a good reaction from the Live Chicago crowd. This is the second Takeover the championship and Aliester Black has taken a backseat to Gargano vs Ciampa. Sullivan gets booed and Black cheered during ring introductions. Aliester Black retains in an incredible match with crowd fully behind him after a Black mass kick.

Street Fight – Johnny Gargano vs Tommaso Ciampa

Its Main Event time.

On his way to the ring Gargano gets stopped by his wife, Candice LaRae, who tells Johnny to “Kick his Ass”. While brawling into the crowd after taking out the announce team, a fan shouts at Ciampa, “You’re the devil Ciampa, You’re the devil!”. This was a brutal match, at first I wasn’t sure if it could live up to the first match but it certainly did. This wasn’t a wrestling match, it was a fight, at some points, a sick fight but it was great with great storytelling and call backs like Johnny Gargano putting Ciampa through the table with the same move Ciampa used on him. Johnny have Tommaso tapping in the ring on two separate occasions after the huge table spot but in the end Ciampa hits Johnny Gargano with a DDT to the exposed wood on the ring for the victory. Winner Tommaso Ciampa.

That was a hell of a show as usual for an NXT Takeover but I could really tell the commentary team was missing something in Mauro Ranallo. McGuinness done a lot of being disgusted by the heels moves and when it went to far Nigel was the one to shout “Oh come on, enoughs enough!” And such. Really good show and definitely worth a watch if you haven’t seen it.

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